Lifting of sanctions against Belarus not discussed by EU

The European Union has not yet discussed the lifting of sanctions imposed against Belarus. There is still time for this until the end of the year, said Foreign Minister of Belgium Didier Reynders.

As reported by RIA Novosti, at the informal meeting on September 4, Foreign Ministers of EU member states discussed the relations with the Eastern partners, including Belarus.

"Now we are just assessing the situation, said Didier Reynders. As for Belarus, we note some steps, such as the release of (political) prisoners. We welcome this release. But we have not progressed further, including the issues of sanctions. In this regard, term ends at the end of the year, let's see what the proposals of the European Commission will be."

Belgian Foreign Minister does not rule out that the discussion of lifting the sanctions against Belarus will take place after the presidential elections in our country (they are scheduled for October 11).

Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said that at today's meeting the question of lifting the sanctions against Belarus was not even discussed. He recalled that the European Union recently removed from the Belarusian "black list" a group of persons (24 persons).

The sanctions were imposed against Belarus because of human rights abuses, repression against dissidents and others. Last year, they were extended to 31 October 2015.